(CNN) - Mitt Romney's assertion In Tuesday's presidential debate that he'd "like to understand who it was that did this" - referring to "Operation Fast and Furious" - was noteworthy following the release of a lengthy investigative report.

The Republican candidate said the botched Southwest border gun-running operation "had been investigated to a degree."

WASHINGTON (CNN) - The Obama administration has informed a federal judge it will continue to invoke the "state secrets" privilege in a legal battle with an Islamic charity suspected of funding terrorism.

The United States has designated the Oregon-based al-Haramain Islamic Foundation as a terrorist organization. The group, which has sued the government over alleged warrantless wiretapping, is demanding classified information about the program.

U.S. officials have refused to tell the charity's lawyers whether the group was subjected to presidentially authorized, warrantless, foreign intelligence surveillance in 2004 and, if so, what information was obtained.

In a court document filed overnight in San Francisco and released early Saturday in Washington, the Justice Department said its case-by-case review of the government's use of the state secrets defense has not changed its position in the al-Haramain case.

The defense allows courts to block lawsuits against the government on grounds that the litigation could harm national security.

FBI Director Robert Mueller says the FBI is not investigating Nancy Pelosi's charge that she was misled by the CIA.

(CNN) - FBI Director Robert Mueller told members of the House Wednesday that it is a crime to lie to Congress, but said the bureau is not investigating the charge by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi that the CIA misled her.

In response to questions from California Rep. Darrell Issa, ranking Republican on the Oversight and Government Reform Committee, Mueller said procedures require Congress to refer requests for an investigation to the Justice Department. If it is determined by Justice officials that a basis exists for an investigation, the FBI would then be asked to look into the matter. When Issa said he has standing to ask for such an investigation, Mueller said he would pass the request on to the Justice Department.

WASHINGTON (CNN) - The first six Obama administration nominees for U.S. Attorney posts were announced Friday to replace top federal prosecutors named by President Bush.

The nominations were disclosed on a day the controversy over the 2006 U.S. attorney firings re-surfaced. Only hours after Bush White House political advisor Karl Rove was questioned by a federal prosecutor about his knowledge of politically-influenced firings, the White House issued its first list of attorneys to replace Bush appointees.

Heading the list is Pareet Bharara, who served as chief counsel to Sen. Charles Schumer during the time the New York senator led the Democratic battle against the Bush administration for employing political considerations in hiring and firing at the Justice Department.

Bharara, if confirmed, would head the crucial U.S. Attorneys Office for the Southern District of New York in Manhattan, which prosecutes high-profile Wall Street crimes and major terrorists. The office, often referred to by Democrats and Republicans alike as the "Sovereign District of New York," has wide prosecutorial discretion and is noted for its legendary independence from the bosses at the Justice Department in Washington.

Other nominees announced Friday were Tristram Coffin for Vermont, John Paul Kacavas for New Hampshire, Paul Fishman for New Jersey, Joyce Vance for the Northern District of Alabama, and Jenny Durkan for the Western District of Washington.

WASHINGTON (CNN) - The Department of Homeland Security told its immigration enforcement agents Thursday to target employers who hire illegal workers, but also to continue to arrest the illegal immigrants it encounters.

Some Republicans said they see little change in the move.

The call by Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano to focus enforcement efforts on employers comes after more than a decade of raids against companies that employ large numbers of illegal workers.

"These guidelines reflect a new department-wide focus to target, through criminal prosecution, abusive employers who cultivate illegal workplaces by breaking our country's laws and knowingly hiring illegal workers," said department spokesman Matt Chandler. "At the same time, ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) will continue to arrest and process for removal any illegal workers who are found in the course of these worksite enforcement actions," Chandler said. FULL POST

(CNN) - Sen. Ted Stevens is expected to be indicted this afternoon by a federal grand jury, CNN has learned. A government source and a source familiar with the investigation would not tell CNN what charges are expected to be filed against the Alaska Republican.

Stevens has been the subject of a wide-ranging federal investigation focusing on Alaska state lawmakers and an Energy company in the state.

FBI and Internal Revenue Service agents searched Stevens' Alaska home in July 2007 in connection with the probe, which has already snared two oil-company executives and a state lobbyist. At the time, he urged constituents "not to form conclusions based upon incomplete and sometimes incorrect reports in the media."

The 84-year-old senator is a former chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee and is renowned for his prowess in steering federal funds to his vast, sparsely populated state. He has represented Alaska in Washington since 1968 and is up for re-election in November.